Ic chip, card and mobile terminal connected to the same

ABSTRACT

One IC chip capable of performing both the contact and contactless functions is disclosed. A card and mobile terminal device is disclosed for enabling the IC chip to function as a contact or contactless IC card. The IC chip comprises a CPU; a contact interface connected to the CPU, for enabling data communications with the outside; and a contactless interface connected the CPU for enabling data communications with the outside. The card connectable to the contactless interface of the IC chip includes an antenna, and the antenna being connectable to the contactless interface of the IC chip to enable the IC chip to radio-communicate with the outside. The mobile terminal device connectable to the contact interface of the IC chip includes another CPU, which is connectable to and in communication with the contact interface of the IC chip to make the IC chip function as a contact IC chip.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to an IC chip, a card and amobile terminal device connectable to the IC chip, and particularlyrelates to IC chips capable of performing both contact and contactlessfunctions, cards and mobile terminal devices therefore.

BACKGROUND ART

There are two kinds of so called “IC cards” or “smart cards”, a contactIC card and a contactless IC card depending on how to communicate datawith a reader/writer. As shown in FIG. 1, a contact IC card 12 has abuilt-in IC chip 10. Inside of the IC chip 10, a CPU, ROM, RAM andEEPROM (not shown) are provided to perform inputting/outputting andprocessing of information. The chip 10 needs to have a nonvolatile andwritable memory device, EEPROM, which can maintain stored contentswithout power. The contact IC card 12 has an electric contact 14 mountedon a surface thereof. When the IC card 12 is inserted into areader/writer (not shown), the contact 14 connects to an interface ofthe reader/writer to read/write information from/to the IC card 12.

As shown in FIG. 2, a contactless IC card 22 has a built-in IC chip 20.The IC chip 20 has a microprocessor 28. The microprocessor 28 comprisesa CPU 21, ROM 27, RAM 23 and EEPROM 25 to perform informationprocessing. The IC chip 20 further comprises an RF interface circuit 24.The IC chip 20 can perform contactless communication (IS014443) with anexternal reader/writer, via a coil antenna 26 built in the IC card 22.Power to the IC chip 20 is supplied via the antenna 26 from the outside.The contactless IC card 22 has advantages of less procedure and lessoccurrence of physical faults when communicating with a reader/writer.

A combination type IC card or hybrid type IC card is known, which hasboth functions of contact IC card and contactless IC card.

As shown in FIG. 1, by taking out only the IC chip 10 from the IC card12 and utilizing it, it is possible to make the function of the contactIC card in the form of a single chip.

On the other hand, it has been impossible to make the function of thecontactless IC card using the IC chip 20 in the form of a single chip,because the antenna cannot be miniaturized and technical problemsresulting from enlarging the slot portion cannot be solved. Accordingly,there is not known one card capable of being used as both contact andcontactless IC cards.

Japanese Patent Laid-open Publications 2000-113148, 2000-113148 and2001-172814 disclose prior art IC cards having both the functions ofcontact and contactless communication, and other prior technologies.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

It is a general object of the present invention to provide an IC chipwith a dual interface function for performing contactless and contactcommunication. Another object is to provide a card and a mobile terminaldevice connectable to such an IC chip for enabling the IC chip tofunction as a contact IC card and a contactless IC card.

Features and advantages of the present invention are set forth in thedescription that follows, and in part will become apparent from thedescription and the accompanying drawings, or may be learned by practiceof the invention according to the teachings provided in the description.Objects as well as other features and advantages of the presentinvention will be realized and attained by the IC chip, the card and themobile terminal device particularly pointed out in the specification insuch full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable a person havingordinary skill in the art to practice the invention.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposeof the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, theinvention provides as follows:

an IC chip, comprising a CPU; a contact interface connected to the CPU,for enabling data communications with the outside; and a contactlessinterface connected to the CPU for enabling data communications with theoutside;

a card connectable to the contactless interface of the IC chipcomprising an antenna; the antenna being connectable to the contactlessinterface of the IC chip to enable the IC chip to radio-communicate withthe outside; and

a mobile terminal device connectable to the contact interface of the ICchip comprising another CPU; the another CPU being connectable to andable to communicate with the contact interface of the IC chip to makethe IC chip function as a contact IC chip.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a conventional contact IC card.

FIG. 2 shows an internal structure of a conventional contactless ICcard.

FIG. 3 shows an IC chip according to a first embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 shows a card according to a second embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 shows a mobile terminal device according to a third embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 6 shows a mobile terminal device according to a fourth embodimentof the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

In the following, embodiments of the present invention are describedwith reference to the accompanying drawings.

First Embodiment

FIG. 3 shows an example of an IC chip 30 having contact and contactlessdual interfaces according to a first embodiment of the presentinvention. The IC chip 30 comprises a microprocessor 32 and acommunication circuit 34. Within the microprocessor 32, as shown in FIG.2 for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM and an EEPROM are provided to read orwrite data. The communication circuit 34 has an RF interface circuit(not shown) and performs both communicating functions for contact ICcard communication and contactless IC card communication. The IC chip 30further comprises a contact interface 36 (such as ISO 7816) andcontactless interface 38 (such as ISO 14443) at opposing sides. The ICchip 30 is merely a chip and therefore comprises no antenna.

Second Embodiment

In a second embodiment shown in FIG. 4, when the contactless interfaceside 38 of the IC chip 30 is inserted into a card 40 having an antenna46, the contactless interface side 38 is connected to the antenna 46 ofthe card 40, and functions as a contactless IC card as a whole. Thecontactless IC card performs contactless communication with an outsidereader/writer, and reads and writes data into and from the IC chip 30.

While the IC chip 30 remains inserted in the card 40, it can function asa contact IC card using the exposed contact interface 36. That is, bybeing used together with the card 40, one dual interface chip 36 canfunction as both contact and contactless IC cards.

Third Embodiment

In a third embodiment shown in FIG. 5, when the IC chip 30 is insertedinto a mobile terminal 50, the contact interface 36 of the IC chip 30 isconnected via an I/O circuit 53 to a CPU 51. Then the IC chip 30functions as a contact IC card within the mobile terminal 50. In moredetail, first, the contact interface side 36 of the IC chip 30 isinserted into an IC chip insert inlet of the mobile terminal 50. Thenboth interfaces of the IC chip 30 and the mobile terminal 50 are incommunication with each other, and therefore data can be read/writtenfrom the mobile terminal 50 to the IC chip 30. Since the mobile terminal50 has an antenna 57, the IC chip 30 can perform contactlesscommunication via the contactless interface 36 and the antenna 57.

Users can read/write data from/to the IC chip 30 and can display datautilizing an input/output device 54.

In order to protect the IC chip 30 against miss-connection when thecontactless interface side 38 is mistakenly inserted and connected tothe I/O circuit 53 of the mobile terminal 50, the IC chip may have apredetermined physical asymmetric shape (not shown), and the inlet ofthe mobile terminal 50 also may have a physical complementary shape. Inthis manner, the IC chip 30 cannot be inserted by the wrong side.

Fourth Embodiment

In a fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 6, when the IC chip 30 is mountedin a mobile terminal 60, the contact interface 36 of the IC chip 30 isconnected via an I/O circuit 53 to a CPU 51, and the IC chip 30 canperform as a contact IC card within the mobile terminal 60. Users canread/write data from/to the IC chip 30 and can display data utilizing aninput/output device 54. Since the contactless interface 38 of the ICchip 30 can be connected to contactless antenna 56 of the mobileterminal 60, the mobile terminal 60 can perform as a contactless ICcard.

In order to protect the IC chip 30 against miss-connection when thecontactless interface side 38 is mistakenly connected to an I/O circuit53 of the mobile terminal 60, the IC chip may have a predeterminedphysical asymmetric shape (not shown), and the mobile terminal 60 alsomay have a physical complementary shape. In this manner, the IC chip 30cannot be inserted at the wrong side.

As mentioned above, according to the embodiments of the presentinvention, one IC chip can perform both the contact and contactlessfunctions. By selecting a device for connecting to the IC chip, userscan easily select either of contact communication or contactlesscommunication as a main function. By inserting such an IC chip into amobile terminal, it becomes possible to read data in the IC chip anddownload data from the network via the mobile terminal communicationfunction. On the other hand, by inserting such an IC chip into a cardwith antenna, it can be utilized as a contactless IC card at ticketexamination machines, etc.

Further, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, butvariations and modifications may be made without departing from thescope of the present invention.

1. An IC chip, comprising; a CPU; a contact interface connected to theCPU, for enabling data communications with outside; and a contactlessinterface connected to the CPU for enabling data communications with theoutside.
 2. The IC chip as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contactinterface is connectable to an external electronic device so that the ICchip communicates with the external electronic device via the contactinterface.
 3. The IC chip as claimed in claim 2, wherein the contactlessinterface is connectable to an external radio device so that the IC chipradio-communicates with the radio device via the contactless interface.4. The IC chip as claimed in claim 3, wherein the contact interface andthe contactless interface are provided at different locations.
 5. The ICchip as claimed in claim 4, further comprising: a physical shape foravoiding miss-connection with the external electronic device or theexternal radio device.
 6. A card connectable to the contactlessinterface of the IC chip as claimed in claim 1, comprising; an antenna;wherein the antenna is connectable to the contactless interface of theIC chip to enable the IC chip to radio-communicate with the outside. 7.The card as claimed in claim 6, wherein the card is capable offunctioning as a contactless IC card by receiving the IC chip.
 8. Amobile terminal device connectable to the contact interface of the ICchip as claimed in claim 1, comprising: a second CPU; wherein the secondCPU is connectable to and in communication with the contact interface ofthe IC chip to make the IC chip function as a contact IC chip.
 9. Amobile terminal device connectable to the contact interface of the ICchip as claimed in claim 5, comprising: a second CPU; the second CPUbeing connectable to and in communication with the contact interface ofthe IC chip to make the IC chip function as a contact IC chip; and aphysical shape complementary to the physical shape of the IC chip foravoiding miss-connection to the contactless interface of the IC chip.10. The mobile terminal device as claimed in claim 8, furthercomprising: an antenna; wherein the antenna is connectable to thecontactless interface of the IC chip to enable the IC chip toradio-communicate with the outside.